Mass Resignations and Escorting Out of Top CDC Officials amid Alarming Shakeup at U.S. Public Health Agency

High-ranking officials who tendered their resignations at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were escorted from the premises on Thursday morning, following the departure of the agency’s director.

Amidst a series of unexpected changes that have left the CDC without a leader, staff members had planned a show of appreciation called a “clap out” for the departing officials on Thursday afternoon. Among those who resigned were Dr. Deb Houry, the chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of vaccines and respiratory diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and data chief Dr. Jennifer Layden.

However, instead of the planned tribute, the officials were escorted out of the building, according to Houry, who emphasized that they were escorted out “by colleagues.”

Later in the day, staffers gathered outside the CDC’s main office in Atlanta.

“What makes the CDC exceptional are the individuals who make up the CDC – the scientists, everyone who contributes to making this a community,” Daskalakis addressed the crowd. “This community protects our nation and the health of its citizens, whether it’s through vaccines, preventing overdose, managing chronic disease, or stopping diseases like Ebola at their source rather than when they arrive on our continent.”

“You are the people who safeguard America, and America needs to recognize that you are the people who protect America. We will be your strongest advocates,” he continued.

Dr. Daniel Pollock, who retired from the CDC in 2021 after a 37-year tenure, described Wednesday’s events as “unprecedented.”

“What’s at stake here is not only the future of Americans’ health and well-being but the future of global health and well-being, because so much of what the CDC creates – whether it be laboratory tests, guidelines, or advice about addressing a public health issue – is utilized worldwide,” he told CNN during Thursday’s event. “The current personnel changes are devastating this work. It will be extremely difficult to recover from what’s being lost due to these unacceptable staffing decisions.”

The Health and Human Services (HHS) department has not responded to CNN’s request for comment regarding the resigned officials.

The upheaval at the CDC comes as the Senate Committee on Finance announced that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify on September 4 about President Donald Trump’s health agenda.

On Wednesday night, a White House spokesperson confirmed the termination of the agency’s director, Dr. Susan Monarez, from her position.

Monarez’s attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, stated that they rejected the notification she received.

“Our client was informed tonight by White House staff from the personnel office that she had been dismissed. As a presidential appointee and Senate-confirmed officer, only the president himself can dismiss her,” Zaid and Lowell said in a statement. “For this reason, we reject the notification Dr. Monarez has received as legally insufficient, and she remains CDC Director. We have notified the White House Counsel of our position.”

As of yet, no acting CDC director has been appointed.

Even as the CDC’s leadership prepares to bid farewell to the agency, the medical community is grappling with the changes.

“The removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the departures of other CDC leaders are highly concerning at a critical juncture for public health. This instability comes at a time when the CDC’s credibility and leadership are more crucial than ever,” Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. “The AMA is deeply troubled by this turmoil, as it leaves us particularly vulnerable to public health threats.”

“Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dismantling the public health infrastructure that keeps us safe from pandemics and vaccine-responsive diseases like Covid-19,” wrote Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in a statement on the departures.

During a Thursday appearance on Fox News, Kennedy declined to comment on the CDC’s internal matters, saying it was inappropriate to discuss “personnel issues.”

“There is a deeply ingrained, I would even say, malaise within the agency, and we need strong leadership that can effectively execute President Trump’s ambitious vision for this agency,” Kennedy stated. “It may be that some individuals are no longer suitable for their roles within the CDC.”